Founded in 1999, Mongabay is an award-winning environmental science and conservation news organization, which publishes original news on a daily basis in an objective (does not advocate), accurate (relies on facts and scientific information) and timely manner to a global audience of conservation scientists, private-sector decision-makers, government policymakers, civil society organizations, journalists in other media outlets, and interested members of the public. Mongabay’s readership across its news sites average roughly eight million unique visitors each month, which positions the organization as one of the top sources of environmental news, analysis, information, and inspiration on the Internet.

WHAT DOES THE PROSPECT RESEARCH ANALYST DO?

The Prospect Research Analyst is responsible for identifying, researching, and analyzing prospects for major gift cultivation and solicitation in support of Mongabay’s environmental journalism. This research and analysis serves as the foundation for securing transformative philanthropic support for the organization and directly contributes to the success and impact of our work. The Prospect Research Analyst will work closely with Mongabay’s development team to expand lead generation, monitor donor activity, and help our organization reach its fundraising goals.

The Prospect Research Analyst is responsible for researching and qualifying prospective donors, and funneling these leads to the development team at Mongabay. The Prospect Research Analyst will co-manage donor data integrity in our CRM (Hubspot) in collaboration with the Mongabay development team, keeping information up-to-date, and support deal flow through the generation of new leads and relationship building.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Proactively and independently plans and executes strategies to identify potential planned and major gift donors through research, analysis, and lead qualification.
• Provides research on prospective donors–especially individuals, family offices, and foundations–using a wide variety of biographical, organizational, and financial sources, including Foundation Directory Online, LinkedIn, and other repositories of public information.
• Gathers, analyzes, visualizes, and summarizes data on prospective and existing donors’ financial capacity, philanthropic tendencies, giving propensity, and linkages to Mongabay.
• Prepares thorough and accurate donor profiles and fundraising reports to summarize opportunities in a variety of formats for the fundraising team in preparation for meetings with prospective and existing foundation donors.
• Qualifies donor perspectives through research, phone calls, and emails.
• Identifies new tools and formats for conveying fundraising research for both internal and external audiences.
• Manages prospects and existing donors in a customer relationship management system (CRM) and maintains technical linkages used to populate the database.
• Monitors news sources for information on prospective and existing donors, information regarding trends in philanthropy, and other funding opportunities. Disseminate this information as appropriate.
• Proactively conducts research to discover alignment between philanthropic foundation interests and organizational priorities, programs or initiatives.
• Collaborates with the program and development teams to assist with proposal development and grant reporting.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES, QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS 

The qualified candidate will have experience in the following areas:

• Minimum 1 year job-related work in fundraising, research and proposal development, ideally in the journalism or conservation sector
• Nonprofit fundraising, grant writing, or database management experience is preferred
• Familiarity with standard donor research tools is ideal

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies:

• Proficiency at LinkedIn
• Proficiency with CRM systems, ideally Hubspot
• Ability to verify donor data using open source information 
• Strong research, technical, analytical, and critical thinking skills
• Working knowledge and understanding of fundraising and donor relations concepts, principles, and techniques
• Advanced analytical skills to synthesize a large volume of information from a variety of sources and perform complex analysis to interpret financial data and individual wealth indicators, such as a donor’s ideal giving level
• Familiarity with automated data collection using webhooks and APIs  
• Ability to organize work effectively, conceptualize and prioritize objectives and exercise independent judgment based on an understanding of organizational policies and activities
• Ability to coordinate work with other staff in a diversity of time zones
• Applies logic and reasoning for approaches to problems. Readily accepts new challenges, work assignments and establishes the most effective way to address new issues, actions, activities and challenges. Thinks quickly and respond rationally and politely to inquiries, work demands, new work and changes in direction including aggressive deadlines
• Ability to learn quickly. Understands the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. Proactively seeks opportunities for acquiring additional knowledge and skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skill in English is required
• Demonstrated excellence in organizational skills
• Reliable access to high-speed Internet is required
• Must be willing to commit to a full-time role (40 hours per week) and available during regular business hours

PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES

This position will play a critical role in securing the financial resources needed to scale up Mongabay’s global impact. Due to our organization’s culture and global work-at-home staff, the most successful staff at Mongabay are adept at working independently and produce consistent high-quality work by taking initiative and thinking creatively about solutions to problems. In this context, this person:

• Is extremely self-directed, motivated, reliable, responsive, and courtesy in all team and donor interactions;
• Functions independently and produces high-quality work with tight deadlines;
• Has a keen eye for detail, including editing and proofreading abilities;
• Makes timely decisions and demonstrates good judgment;
• Integrates cross-cultural dynamics into their thinking;
• Maintains a strong sense of professionalism and communication;
• Adjusts approaches according to feedback;
• Contributes to the Mongabay team by communicating and working cooperatively with staff, while following through on tasks and delivering results;
• Is committed to fostering positive relationships with donors and;
• Demonstrates personal integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality.

COMPENSATION & LOCATION

The work of our organization changes as we continuously seek to have greater impact. All of our team members must be flexible and able to adapt to short and long-term shifts in their job duties. As a globally distributed organization, there is no required location for this position. However, location is a consideration and an ability to coordinate with colleagues working in a diversity of time zones is strongly preferred. Mongabay aims to offer competitive pay rates that will attract, retain, and motivate our full-time staff. Please submit a pay range when applying. 

TO APPLY

We are no longer accepting applications for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until filled. On the application, you will be asked to fill out basic contact information, pay rate expectations, reference information (2), and to upload the following two documents:

1. Cover letter – please provide specific examples of your experience related to this position, as well as specific examples of your ability to work effectively from home and meet deadlines (1-2 pages)
2. Resume – (1-2 pages)
3. Two references

Applications must be submitted in English. Please note that you do not need to provide letters of recommendation and we will not reach out to references before getting your permission to do so.

Benefits, Holidays, and Paid Time Off 

It is important for all staff to step away from work to renew themselves. That is why Mongabay provides generous paid time off (PTO) for professional development, holidays, sick time, rest and relaxation, and vacation including a flexible work schedule. 

We observe 10 U.S Federal holidays and support staff who celebrate other personal and religious holidays. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mongabay is an equal employment opportunity (EEO)/affirmative action employer and provides EEO to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other status prohibited by law.

 

* The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications. Management reserves the right to change or modify such duties as required. All staff is responsible for following applicable Mongabay policies and procedures.